Basic Details
Word: Postpone
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: To move an event or a task to a later time.
Synonyms: delay, defer, put off
Antonyms: advance, bring forward
Word origin: From Latin postponere, from post, after, and ponere, to put.
How to Spell Postpone
Syllables: post - pone
Tricky part: The t of post is easy to swallow when speaking, so students write pospone. The word ends in one with a silent e.
Watch out for: pospone, postpon, posepone
Memory tip: Post means after, as in postscript (PS). To postpone is to put something after - so say post clearly and keep its t.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The school had to postpone sports day because the ground was flooded.
Example 2: Never postpone your revision until the night before the exam.
Example 3: The wedding was postponed by a week because the groom fell ill.
Fun Fact
The Tokyo Olympics planned for 2020 were postponed to 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but they kept the name Tokyo 2020.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word postpone as it is used in the sentence:
Heavy snowfall forced the hill station to postpone its winter carnival.
a) hasten
b) announce
c) organise
d) defer
Show answer
d) defer. To defer is to put off till later; hasten means the opposite.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to complete the word:
pos_p_ne
a) s, o
b) d, o
c) t, o
d) t, a
Show answer
c) t, o. Post gives the first missing letter, and the end rhymes with bone.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. shedule 2. apointment 3. postpone 4. calandar
a) a plan that lists when things will happen
b) an arrangement to meet someone at a set time
c) a chart of the days and months of a year
d) to move an event to a later time
Show answer
d) to move an event to a later time. Schedule needs a c, calendar has an e after the l, and appointment has two p's.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If a match is postponed, it is ____.
a) played on a later date
b) played twice
c) moved to an earlier date
d) cancelled for ever
Show answer
a) played on a later date
2. Which word is opposite in meaning to postpone?
a) delay
b) suspend
c) advance
d) defer
Show answer
c) advance
